Wild Echidnas
by AngelCam7
Summary: While Sonic, Tails, and Amy were busy globe trotting to restore power to the Chaos Emeralds and stop Eggman's latest plan, Knuckles and Shade have their own problem to deal with, due to Eggman's actions as well. Alternative Sonic Unleashed canon story.
1. Prologue

Wild Echidnas

by AngelCam7

A Sonic the Hedgehog M-Rated Fan Fiction

Summary: A unique adaptation of Sonic Unleashed from Knuckles' point of view. While Sonic, Tails, and Amy were busy globetrotting to restore power to the Chaos Emeralds and stop Eggman's latest plan, Knuckles and Shade have their own problem to deal with, due to Eggman's actions as well. Contains KnuxAde and some TailsMo.

Author's Note: First off, I do not own any rights to the _Sonic the Hedgehog_ series. That's SEGA's department, literally. Second, this story is in no connections with my popular MySpace comic series, _The MISAdventures of Sonic the Hedgehog_. (myspace . com/AngelCam7) And finally, this story is rated M for the usual stuff.

Knuckles - 20

Shade - Unknown, but uh... let's say 19

Prologue: Earth-Shattering Results

Deep within the confides of the Hidden Palace, an underground sanction for Knuckles and Shade, where they lived together as boyfriend and girlfriend, guarding the Master Emerald, the terracotta echidna activates the Master Emerald defenses, created through the combination of her Nocturnus technology and Tails' genius in his own right.

As soon as the laser grid surrounded the Master Emerald, she exited the room the giant gem was being kept. Shade looked around to find her red boyfriend, but could not find him inside. She chuckled slightly, as she probably knew where she could find him.

She entered a hidden elevator behind the wall as it began to go up. Wearing her white shirt, black jacket, blue jeans, her black Nocturnus bracelet, and black sneakers, Shade waited patiently until she heard the ding of the elevator. As the doors opened, she smiled as she knew she would find what she would see; Knuckles staring up in the night sky.

The elevator had appeared where the Master Emerald used to be; on top of the old alter. As Shade exited the elevator, she went to join Knuckles as the elevator disappeared back down underground.

"I thought I'd find you here, Knuckles." Shade said, "Even though we've ensured that the Master Emerald is well protected in our new area, most nights like tonight, you still feel the need to come up here. Are you feeling a sense of nostalgia among this old alter?"

"Nah, it's not that." Knuckles said as he continued to look up, "There's just something serene about staring in the night sky like this. I'm glad that the protection of the Master Emerald is well in hand, but some of the little things from the past I've missed, like being able to observe the wonder nature can provide."

The terracotta echidna smiled and wrapped her arm around the red echidna's waist as she joined him in observing the heavens above.

"You know, when my people were first trapped in the Twilight Cage, I too, looked up at the space it provided." Shade said, "Though, my thoughts were more focused on if I would ever return and find happiness."

Knuckles then looked over at Shade with a smile on his face. "Well, before I had met you, I had wondered if I was going to be alone for the rest of my life." He said.

Hearing him say that caused Shade to look back at Knuckles and stare in his purple eyes. "Well, I'm glad we both have our answers..." She said.

"As am I." Knuckles added.

Both echidnas closed their eyes as their heads were moving closer to kiss, when all of a sudden; the ground beneath them began to shake.

They both fell to the floor as it seemed the whole island began to quake in mid air.

"Knuckles, what's going on?" Shade asked.

"I'm not sure! Angel Island has never done this before!" Knuckles responded as he tried to keep himself still.

He then looked up at the sky and saw something unusual.

"What the heck is that?" He asked.

Shade looked up and couldn't believe what she saw either. It was far off and hard to make out, but it looked like a large laser beam had been fired from space. It was unclear where its intended target was, but once it connected, the entire planet began to quake.

As the violent shakes continue, Knuckles almost sensed something was wrong with the Master Emerald. Unfortunately, before he could do something, Angel Island began to fall...

* * *

Daylight began to break through as both echidnas were unconscious on the old alter floor and the island was surrounded by the sounds of an alarm going off. The combination of the 2 started to wake the both of them up slowly.

"Ugh... What... happened?" Knuckles asked groggily.

"Oh... I'm not... Huh?" Shade said as her eyes were opened in shock, "Knuckles, look!"

Knuckles shook his head as he tried to look where Shade was pointing towards. "What?" He said in shock.

What he first noticed was that Angel Island had fallen into the ocean once again, but what had him really stunned was the sight of the ocean. Several miles ahead, it looked as if the ocean was split in two as the glow of the planet's molten core was within the gap.

"Do you think it had something to do with what happened last night?" Shade asked.

Knuckles was stunned until he had finally heard the cries of the alarm going off. "The Master Emerald!" He shouted out.

Shade realized this as well as she pressed her foot down on a hidden panel on the floor, causing the elevator to rise up again. The doors opened and both echidnas went inside.

As soon as the elevator reached their underground home, they were surprised to see it was still intact after the shaking the island had endured last night.

As the alarm continue to ring, Shade saw the room where the Master Emerald was being kept was closed by a steel door, as part of the security measures. The terracotta echidna ran to the wall next to the door and pressed another hidden panel, this time, revealing a keypad. As she began to press the buttons to deactivate the security code and allow them access, Knuckles soon joined her.

"Do you think someone tried to steal the Emerald while we were knocked out?" She asked.

"No... I don't think so." Knuckles said solemnly, "Because I sensed something was wrong with the Emerald during that laser shot."

"Do you think that somehow, this is all connected?" Shade asked.

"Maybe..." He replied.

The security code was soon punched in as the alarm stopped and the door slowly opened. When the door was fully opened, they were in complete shock at what they saw: The Master Emerald looked to be cracked wide open, with some of its pieces scattered across the floor. The bright green color that would be normally seen from the Emerald had completely faded.

As they looked up at the Emerald in dismay, they saw a figure which seemed to be laid out on the floor as well. Knuckles sprinted up the stairs towards the shattered Emerald with Shade quickly following behind. When they had reached the top, they couldn't believe what was before them. A bright orange female echidna dressed in a white tank-top, a green tribal-printed toga-dress, and white sandals laid unconscious on the ground several feet from the broken gem. Nearby her was a large light blue colored puddle that looked to be slowly moving.

"Knuckles... Who is that?" Shade asked in confusion.

"It... can't be..." Knuckles said in shock, "Tikal?"


	2. Some Questions Answered

Chapter 1: Some Questions Answered...

The light orange female echidna opened her eyes slowly as she found herself in a bed in a room unfamiliar to her. She looked around in confusion until she heard some voices not too far away. Tikal started to get up off of the bed and walk slowly towards the source of the voices.

"So, this is Dr. Eggman's doing, huh? I should have known..." Knuckles said.

_"Yeah, from what Sonic has told me so far..."_ Tails' voice said via a video phone, as it showed him flying in the night sky, _"Eggman drained the Chaos Emeralds of their power and caused the planet to break apart."_

"Well, that explains why the Master Emerald shattered. Since the Master Emerald is designed to prevent the Chaos Emeralds for going out of control, its power would also be drained since the Chaos Emeralds have lost their energy." Shade said.

"That would also explain why we found Tikal and Chaos nearby the shattered Master Emerald..." Knuckles added.

"So Tails, do you know what the reason behind this incident is yet?" Shade asked.

Tikal peeked through an entranceway while hiding behind a wall to see and overhear the conversation.

_"Not yet. We're on our way to Spagonia right now to get some information from an old acquaintance of mine."_ Tails said.

"Well, you two be careful." Knuckles said, "Sounds like you've got a hairy situation, there."

_"You don't know the half of it..."_ An almost gruff version of Sonic's voice said off screen.

"What the... Was that Sonic?" The red echidna asked in confusion.

_"Uh... it's a long story..."_ Tails said, preventing the werehog version of Sonic from being seen. Knuckles would have a long list of disses for him had he saw him. _"So, how are things going back home?"_ The orange two-tailed said, changing topics immediately, _"Is Cosmo okay?"_

Knuckles' and Shade's eyes widened a bit. "Uh, yeah..." The terracotta echidna said, "She's just a little shook up from the shockwave, but she's fine. Nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, Tails." Knuckles said, "You just focus on helping Sonic fix this problem and we'll take care of things here."

_"Okay. Good luck to you with your situation as well. Tails out."_ Tails said as the video screen went black, ending the conversation.

Both echidnas breathed out heavily in relief. "That was close..." Knuckles said.

"Um, excuse me..." Tikal said, getting the attention of both echidnas.

"Huh? Tikal." Knuckles said as he approached the light orange echidna, "You're finally awake."

"Knuckles. I have some questions..." Tikal said, "For starters, where am I?"

"You're in our home." Shade said, "The old Hidden Palace. Me and Knuckles remade it as our abode and placed the Master Emerald here to guard it together."

"Oh... I'm sorry... And you are?" Tikal asked, noticing Shade for the first time.

"My apologies. My name is Shade and you must be Tikal. I've heard so much about you." Shade said, extending her hand to shake Tikal's.

"Hello, Shade. It's nice to meet you." Tikal said as she shook Shade's hand. She noticed her headband and the markings on it. She thought she recognized it as she tried to study it, but Knuckles quickly interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, so we found the Master Emerald shattered and out of power and found you and Chaos unconscious next to it." Knuckles continues to explain.

"Chaos?" Tikal asked in shock, "Where is he?"

"Well..." Knuckles said with an uneasy look on his face, "You might want to see for yourself..."

All three echidnas walked into the alter room. Tikal was in shock as she looked up. She saw the Master Emerald in pieces. Knuckles and Shade led Tikal up the stairs to get a closer look. She was surprised to see Knuckles pointing towards the light blue puddle which seemed to be moving slowly, as if it was breathing.

"Chaos? What has happened to him?" The light orange echidna asked in shock.

"We're not sure..." The red echidna said, "We found him in his puddle state for the past few days now."

"We think this has to do with Eggman and draining the Chaos Emeralds of their power." The terracotta echidna added.

"But... that's impossible!" Tikal said, "Unless... No... he doesn't plan on..."

"What's wrong?" Knuckles asked.

"Well, I'm not sure... but I've heard legends say that a dark and terrible beast would rise every 100,000 years..." Tikal said.

"I've heard those same stories back then..." Shade said, "But I always thought it was in regards to Chaos?"

"No, Chaos is normally a peaceful guardian." Tikal said, "From what I've heard, this creature would rise and cause destruction upon awaking. But it would take the power of un-imaginary proportions to keep the beast at bay."

"The Chaos Emeralds?" Shade asked.

"I would think so..." Tikal said, "But unfortunately, I do not know much else... I've heard vague descriptions in those stories, so I am not certain which are real and which are exaggerations..."

"Well, from what Tails has told us about what's happening so far, my guess is that is exactly what Eggman is planning to do..." Knuckles said.

"What do you mean?" Tikal asked.

"Tails said that strange things have been happening at night lately." The red echidna explained, "Little things, like some people not acting like themselves; and big things, like dark creatures appearing out of nowhere and wreaking havoc in the streets. Not only that, but he said that Eggman somehow was able to drain the Chaos Emeralds of their energy. My guess is this, as well as the Master Emerald shattering, yours and Chaos' appearance, and the cracking of our planet, is all connected."

"Tails said that there might be a small chance that the Emeralds can be powered up again." The terracotta echidna said, "Hopefully this will cause the Master Emerald to be repaired as well..."

"One can only hope..." Tikal said, "Though the Master Emerald is designed to control the Chaos Emeralds and keep them from going out of control, their powers are connected in a sense. This must be why Chaos in his liquefied state..." She then realized something else as well. "By the way, I couldn't help noticing how nervous you were when your fox friend mentioned someone named Cosmo. Why is that?"

Knuckles and Shade shared an uneasy look at each other.

"Well... Cosmo is... Tails' girlfriend." Knuckles explained, "She's an alien plant girl known as a Seedrian. We all met during an invasion of dangerous enemies known as the Metarex. We were able to defeat them and, a few months later, she and Tails has been living together ever since."

"However..." Shade said, "Tails was in the midst of experimenting his latest upgrade for his plane when the planet began to break apart. He ended up crashing somewhere in Apotos. He fixed his plane and is traveling with Sonic right now. As for Cosmo... well... she was in the field with Cream and... well, when the planet shook and separated... she just... she fell into a coma."

Tikal had her hand over her mouth in shock as she heard this.

"I guess, since her stay, she has a bond with our planet." Knuckles said, thinking out loud, "Right now she's still sleeping in Cream and Vanilla's house."

"Tails has enough to worry about as far as helping Sonic." Shade added, "We felt that if he knew what has happened to her, he'd probably feel such heartbreak, that it could interfere with what needs to be done."

The echidnas soon slowly exited the alter room as the door shut behind them. Tikal looked back in worry, hoping that Chaos was okay.

"Tikal, are you okay?" Knuckles asked.

"Yes... I'm fine..." She said, "I'm just concerned about Chaos, that's all."

"Well, I'm not sure how you can show compassion for a monster like that..." Shade said, grudgingly.

That comment shocked Tikal.

"Uh, please forgive Shade..." Knuckles said, "She's not quite familiar with the whole story behind Chaos."

"What do you mean? That beast nearly eradicated the echidna species." Shade said with slight anger in her voice.

"That's only part of the story." He said.

"This is more of the fault of my father..." Tikal said as she had her head down, "Because of him and his war with the Nocturnus clan."

This caught Shade's attention.

"I don't understand why the Nocturnus were so focused on warring with us..." The light orange echidna continued, "If they would have focused on a peaceful resolve... then my father wouldn't have been driven to seek more power to fight them with... Chaos isn't a monster... He was just trying to protect the Emeralds. To keep them from being used for war... and yet..."

At that point, Tikal looked like she was going to break out into tears. Shade soon comforted her with an apologetic look on her face.

"Tikal... I... I'm sorry." She said, "I had no idea... Believe me, I had always thought that Chaos was an instrument of destruction, but..."

"He's Not!" Tikal yelled out, "He was only driven to cause this as a last resort... He's not bad. I begged my father not to do this... To not go through with stealing the Emeralds to use them for war and vengeance... But..."

"Tikal..." Shade said, "Believe me, when this mess first started, I, too, wondered if a peaceful solution could be attained... I'm truly sorry for my comments. Please, I wouldn't want your stay here to become unpleasant because of my actions."

Knuckles looked on silently as he hoped Tikal would forgive Shade. It was easy to understand why Shade said what she had said, but she didn't know the whole story behind it. Tikal is usually friendly and forgiving in nature, but hearing her break down like this was very unsettling.

"No... it's okay..." Tikal said, sniffling a bit, "Like Knuckles said, you had no idea about my past or the situation with Chaos."

"Well..." Shade began to say, but never finished her thought.

"It's perfectly fine." The light orange echidna said, "I appreciate the kindness you and Knuckles have shown here."

"Thank you, Tikal." The red echidna said, breathing a sigh of release, "Hopefully this incident will be settled and Sonic will be able to restore the Chaos Emeralds and maybe, just maybe, the Master Emerald will be restored as well, and you two can return in peace."

"Thank you, Knuckles." Tikal said, her voice no longer showing sadness within.

"Not just relax as we get your dinner ready. We've gathered several fruits that were able to survive the crash of the island." Knuckles said.

Tikal nodded as she bowed and made her way to the dining area of the housing area.

As Knuckles was heading into the dining area as well, he noticed Shade's uncomfortable silence.

"Shade? Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"Knuckles... do you think I... went too far with voicing my feelings?" She asked.

"No. Like Tikal said, you had no idea." Knuckles responded.

"Yes, and I appreciate her kind words... but..." Shade said despondently, "Do you think she would feel the same way... if she knew of my former allegiance... with the Nocturnus clan?"

Knuckles understood why Shade would be silent. "Well... I... I think so." He said.

"When Tikal mentioned the Nocturnus tribe... She thought the Nocturnus were the ones who started this war..." Shade said, "I'll admit, going into war against Pachamec's tribe was not my true intent, but since we were trapped in the Twilight Cage, I had no other option but to believe Imperator Ix in order to find a way to get back. For I don't know how long, I've always held some sort of resentment towards him and his tribe, because I thought it was because of his actions that caused my tribe to be trapped. But... after meeting you, and seeing Ix's true purpose... I didn't know what to think..."

"Shade..." Knuckles said.

"I've always thought because of Chaos' wrath was the reasons behind everything that had happened to our tribes, but after what Tikal had said..." Shade continued, "I... I truly hope she bares no resentment towards my tribe... the way I did for hers..."

"I'm sure of it, Shade." Knuckles said as he placed his hand on Shade's shoulder while she looked up in his eyes, "You didn't judge me based on what my people did. You love me for who I am, just like how I love you for who you are."

"Thank you, Knuckles." Shade said as she wrapped her arms around him.

The two echidnas then brought their faces together as they shared a brief kiss, with both of their tongues exploring their mouths. They soon broke the kiss.

"Come on, Shade..." The red echidna said, "We should get ready to eat."

"I'm right beside you, Knuckles." Shade said as they both walked together into the dining area.

The planet may have been in danger, but the moment between the 2 echidnas was the best moment they have shared since this incident started...


	3. Strange Things Happen at Night

Chapter 2: Strange Things Happen at Night

After dinner, the 3 echidnas started to get ready to go to sleep. Knuckles and Shade hooked up a spare sleeping bag for Tikal and they had her sleep in the Master Emerald alter room. Hopefully having her sleep near the form of Chaos will put her in some sort of ease.

Meanwhile, Knuckles and Shade were getting ready in their bedroom. As Shade changed into her black nightgown, she looked over at the door with a concerned look on her face.

"Shade? Is everything okay?" Knuckles asked as he headed towards the bed.

"Well, I just can't help but still think about what happened between me and Tikal today..." She answered.

"I can understand how this day got a little crazy." The red echidna said, "You just need something to help get your mind off of it." A seductive smile forms on his face. "And I know just the thing..."

He slowly sneaks his hand and gently gropes his girlfriend's breast, fully catching the gist of what he wants.

"Oh, Knuckles..." The terracotta echidna said as she slowly turned around to meet his loving gaze, "I think I'm starting to feel better already..." She then kissed him on the lips.

***

Meanwhile, Tikal was trying to sleep in her sleeping bag as she was tossing and turning. A strange small dark mist rose up from the shattered remains of the Master Emerald and proceeded to make its way up Tikal's breathing nose and mouth and was quickly inhaled by the light orange echidna.

Several minutes after it disappeared inside her, Tikal's eyes shot opened with a half blank stare. She soon slowly got up and out of her sleeping bag. Tikal was unsure of what just happened as she held her hand to her head. For an unknown reason, she felt the need to walk, so, still in her tribal attire, barefoot, she began to walk down the steps and exited the alter room.

It was then as she walked down the hallway that the light orange echidna heard moans coming from one of the rooms. She slowly approached the slightly opened door as gasped silently at what she saw.

Knuckles had removed Shade's night wear as they had already started to make love to each other on the bed. The red echidna massaged the terracotta echidna's breasts while he suckled at her neck. Tikal looked on as she saw Knuckles' erect member protruding from his fur and Shade's vagina wet with excitement.

"Oh, Knuckles!" Shade cried out in ecstasy, "Yes! This feels so good..."

Shade's hands traveled down to her boyfriend's waist as her left hand slowly rubbed his cock.

"Mmm... My, you're feeling real eager, tonight..." Knuckles said as he exhaled smoothly upon feeling her hand on his member.

As Knuckles and Shade continued to embrace each other and say sweet things to each other, Tikal just stared in the room with absolute wonder. Throughout her living life, sexual thoughts never once crossed her mind. But for some reason, she felt compelled to watch their sexual performance continue, as Knuckles began to kiss Shade's cheek as he shifted his body into position.

"So, are you ready?" Knuckles asked sarcastically.

Shade said nothing as she kissed his muzzle lightly and grasped his tail and butt with her right hand. "Mmm..." She said as she released her kiss, "Does that answer your question?"

The next sounds that emerged from the echidnas were those of loving moans as Knuckles inserted his penis deep in Shade's vagina. As he massaged her breasts while thrusting himself into her, Tikal silently removed her tribal wardrobe, letting it fall at her feet, and began to massage her own breast with her left hand and rubbed her pussy with her right hand, as she breathed heavily and continued to stare at the echidnas' love making unnoticed.

As Tikal continued to look on and stimulate her moist vagina at the scene before her, Knuckles eagerly thrusted his penis into Shade's pussy, making the terracotta echidna moan with passion as she wrapped her arms around her red echidna boyfriend, urging him to continue.

"Knuckles!" She screamed out, "Oh! Keep Fucking Me! Your Cock Feels So Damn Good! Uh!"

"Shade, your cunt feels so tight!" Knuckles said, groaning in pleasure, "It feels so fuckin' good! Yes! Oh! I Love You So Damn Much!"

"Yes! More! Knuckles! Give! Me! Your! All! OH!" Shade screamed out with each thrust.

As both echidnas moaned during their orgasm, Tikal silently moaned as she soon felt her cum explode from her pussy and spill onto her hand and on the floor. The light orange echidna never took her eyes away from the echidna couple as she continued to rub her wet vagina.

Knuckles and Shade sighed and muttered sweet things to each other as they slowly fell asleep, completely unaware of the mesmerized peeping echidna as she took her left hand off of her breast. She then brought up her right hand, completely covered with her juices, and placed it in her mouth, licking and swallowing her juices as she cleaned it off her hand.

As soon as the all of her cum was licked off, Tikal simply stood up and gathered her clothes lying around her. With her attire under her arms, she slowly walked back to the alter room, her bare feet smacking the cold floor as she walked.

As soon as she made her way back up to the alter, she glanced over at the Chaos puddle. Without any sound or emotion on her dazed face, she took her hand and lightly brushed the liquid substance. When she was able to gather some of the liquid creature's form on her hand, she then proceeded to spread it across her pussy until it seemed to sink inside her.

Once she was successful in her unusual attempt, she ended up kissing her fingers as she fell limp on the floor and instantly fell asleep.

***

The next morning, Knuckles and Shade slowly woke up, happy to see one another in each other's embrace. They kissed as they slowly got up out of bed.

As Shade was putting on her nightwear again, Knuckles adjusted his fur as he exited the bedroom. As soon as the red echidna exited the bedroom, something caught his sight. A small liquid substance was near his feet.

He was about to knell down for a closer look, when the doors to the Master Emerald alter opened. Tikal, back wearing her tribal attire and her sandals, walked in the hallway, rubbing her eyes awake.

"Oh. Good morning, Knuckles." She said.

"Uh... Morning Tikal." He said, quickly getting up.

"Ah, good morning, Tikal." Shade said as she was in a black night robe, "Did you sleep okay?"

"I did. Thank you for asking." The light orange echidna said in her sweet tone.

Knuckles eyed that small puddle like mark on the floor once more before turning his attention towards Tikal. "Uh, Tikal, let me ask you something..." He said, "Did you happen to notice anything strange last night?"

"What do you mean?" Tikal asked in confusion, unsure about what he was saying.

"Well..." The red echidna began to say, until another earthquake began to shake the area.

The result of the shakes caused all 3 echidnas to fall on the floor. But, as sudden as the shakes began, in a few minutes, they stopped.

The echidnas slowly got back up as they were recovering from the mini-earthquake.

"What was that?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm not sure..." Shade said, "It was almost similar to the first earthquake 2 days ago, but it didn't last as long... I wonder what that could mean..."

"I'm not sure..." The red echidna said, then turned her attention towards the light orange echidna, "Hey, Tikal, are you all right?"

"I'm okay..." Tikal said as she gingerly made her way back up, "What about you? Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, we're okay." The terracotta echidna said.

As Knuckles was the first back up on his feet, he notices a small glow coming from alter room.

"Hey... What's happening in the alter?" He said.

Shade and Tikal noticed this as well, as they all ran back into the alter room.

The sight before them left them in shock and awe. A small number of pieces of the Master Emerald began to glow. Almost as if 1/7th of the Emerald was glowing in its normal state, but was still shattered.

Could this be a sign of things getting better?...


	4. Gone Batty

****

Author's Note: First off, sorry for the long delay. A lot of stuff happened. Games being played, job being worked, comics being made, other fanfics getting typed. But hopefully, this wait will be worth it. Enjoy the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 3: Gone Batty

_"When the first Chaos Emerald was re-energized, a piece of the planet was put back into place."_ Tails said, through the video phone to the echidnas in the room. He was seen in the bright daytime light in the Mazuri area.

"Well, that explains the earthquake..." Knuckles said, "So, we can expect 6 more coming?"

_"Basically... so expect this week to be shaking more than usual."_ Tails said jokingly.

"So, that would explain why some of the Master Emerald pieces are glowing..." Shade, dressed in her black Nocturnus armor, said.

_"Yeah. I guess since the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds are connected, the energy will be refilled simultaneously, but it might take the Master Emerald longer to bring itself back to full power."_ The orange two-tailed fox explained.

"Especially since the guardian has been reduced to a puddle on the floor..." Knuckles said, quickly realizing he could have upseted the light orange echidna next to him. "But, I'm sure Chaos will return to his original form once the Emeralds have been restored."

"I can only hope..." Tikal simply said.

_"Um, Tikal..."_ Tails said, trying to get her attention, _"Could I ask you a quick question?"_

"Sure, Tails. What do you need to know?" The echidna said.

_"Well, you would be familiar with certain people in your long history of existence, right?"_ The fox asked.

"Well... I believe so, yes." She responded.

_"Well, I was wondering if you happen to know this guy..."_ Tails said, then turning his head to the left. _"Chip, would you come over here, please?"_

As soon as he said that, a flying red critter with a white furred muzzle and white furred paws flew in front of Tails holding a chocolate candy bar.

_"Yeah, Tails? What's up?"_ He asked.

_"I want you to meet some of my friends."_ Tails said, _"They're right on that screen there."_

_"Huh?"_ The creature, which was named Chip, turned towards the screen and saw the echidnas before him. _"Oh, hello there."_ He said, _"My name's Chip."_ He then waved his chocolate bar at the screen. _"You want some chocolate?"_

Knuckles, Shade, and Tikal were surprised to see this Chip character on the screen.

_"Chip, that's a video phone."_ Tails explained to him, _"You won't be able to share your chocolate with them."_

"Tails... who is that... Is that a flying chihuahua?" Knuckles asked confused.

"I don't think so... He looks more like a chinchilla... I think..." Shade said.

"Are you sure? I think he represents a small squirrel..." Tikal said.

"I don't think so..." Knuckles said, "In any case, Tails, where did you meet this... uh... Chip?"

Chip looked on with a slightly frustrated look on his face.

_"Well... it's complicated..."_ Tails said, _"Sonic said he met him shortly after he fell out of Eggman's base. Unfortunately, the little guy has amnesia, so we don't know much about him... except for his sweet tooth."_

"Well..." Tikal said, as she tried to get a good look at Chip, "I'm not sure..." Unbeknownst to the others, Tikal's eyes suddenly turned from her usual light blue color to a purple shade. "I'm afraid I don't know who this is. I'm sorry..." She said.

_"Oh, well... It was worth a try."_ Tails said, _"Thanks, anyway. Okay, me and Sonic are gonna get going now. We have a long way to go in fixing the planet and restoring the Emeralds."_

"Good luck, Tails." Shade said.

"We'll make sure everything goes smoothly here." Knuckles added.

_"You be careful, too. There's no telling what unusual changes are happening over there."_ Tails said.

"What do you mean?" The red echidna asked.

_"Well, there have been cases of people acting strangely at night..."_ The orange two-tailed fox explained, _"Behaving in strange ways that are almost a polar opposite of their usual actions. So, be on the look-out for scenarios like that."_

"Got it, Tails." The terracotta echidna said, "See you later."

After they said their good-byes, Knuckles hung up, making the video screen go black. At the same time, Tikal's eyes returned to their normal color as she shook her head slightly.

"Well... speaking of strange..." Knuckles said, "I happened to have found some strange moisture on the floor outside our room, Shade."

"You don't think this area is liable to get flooded in, do you?" Shade asked.

"No... it didn't look like it was coming from underneath..." Knuckles said, "It almost looked like..."

At that moment, the alarm started to go off, interrupting Knuckles' train of thought.

"Oh, great. Now what..." Knuckles said in frustration.

"We better investigate." Shade said, "Tikal, stay here. There's no telling what could be out there."

"O-okay..." Tikal said sheepishly.

* * *

Soon, the 2 echidnas were moving through the trees, trying to see any sign of the disturbance.

"Did you find anything, Knuckles?" Shade asked.

"Nothing..." Knuckles said, "Wait... look over there..."

He pointed over at the distance, where a figure was seen flying towards the old alter where the Master Emerald stood before.

"There's only person I know who flies like that... and who knows this island as much as we do." Knuckles said, "Come on, Shade, we better hurry."

"Right." Shade said, as she extends her hand towards him, "Quick, take my hand."

Knuckles quickly grabs Shade's hand as she uses her other hand to press a button on her belt, causing the both of them to be transported towards the old alter.

As soon as Rouge flew up to the top, she was met by the glaring stare of the echidnas.

"Whoa! You know, that transporting belt of yours could really come in handy for me..." The white furred bat, dressed in a white gloves, white boots, and a dark purple body suit said.

"Whatever you're doing here, Rouge, I neither have the time nor the patience." Knuckles said, "So do yourself a favor right now and just get off the island now..."

"Well, nice to see you, too, Knuckles..." Rouge said while crossing her arms, "Am I to guess you and Shade are having relationship issues?"

"We're serious, Rouge..." Shade said, "We're dealing with our own problems since Eggman broke apart the planet..."

"Believe me, I know..." The bat said, "Which is why this isn't a personal visit."

"Huh?" The red echidna asked.

Suddenly a fast black streak appeared in the sky. With speed matching their blue buddy, Shadow the Hedgehog appeared in between Rouge and the echidnas.

"We came here for your assistance." The black hedgehog said.

"Hmm... And exactly what do you need our help with?" Knuckles asked.

Before an answer could be made, a metal tube emerged from the ground behind them. The door swiftly opened to reveal Tikal standing inside.

"Knuckles, Shade. Is everything okay?" She asked mildly.

"Oh, ho... So that's where you're hiding the Master Emerald now, hmm?" Rouge asked in a cocky tone as Knuckles slaps his forehead.

"Tikal. We told you to stay down below." Shade said.

"I'm sorry, but... I just got so concerned; I wanted to see if you were okay." Tikal said, slightly ashamed.

"And who's this? Someone special to spice up your love life?" The white bat said smugly.

Knuckles simply growled.

"Rouge, we don't have time for this." Shadow said, "Remember? Topaz..."

"Oh, right..." Rouge said, "Listen, we seriously need help. We think this situation we're in and whatever mess you're in are all connected, thanks to Eggman shattering the planet."

"Hmm... I guess..." Knuckles said, still having his back towards the bat and black hedgehog.

"Knuckles, Shade, I'm not entirely sure who this girl is, but we need your help in this situation before it grows dire." Shadow said.

"Okay..." Knuckles says as he sighs, "Everyone, get in the elevator and explain to us just what exactly do you need help with?"

Both echidnas, the black hedgehog, and the white bat enter the elevator and join the light orange echidna inside, as the pod closed and receded back down in the echidna's base.

"Well, it happened during the break-up of the planet." Shadow explained, "Me and Rouge were making sure everyone in Station Square were safe after the earthquake. Meanwhile, Topaz and a group of other agents investigated the blast area. They returned finding nothing but a large pit with the core of the planet shining through."

"But not too long after, we felt that Topaz's behavior was a bit off. Especially since she disappeared that night." Rouge said.

"Why is that?" Shade asked.

"Well..." The bat said, "Because it was one of those _special_ nights when we get together..."

"Huh? You're making less sense than usual..." Knuckles said.

"Well, let's just say that we're a lot closer than most G.U.N. partners could be..." Rouge said, which caused the echidnas to gasp in shock.

It was clear that Shadow and Rouge became a couple shortly after the Black Arms invasion. But they never expected to hear that they occasionally had sexual experiences with a human female.

"You mean... You two... and Topaz..." Knuckles said still in shock.

"She had some relationship problems before and she needed some support and... well, things are more fun when there's a 3rd person in the mix." Rouge said, "You'll probably find that out soon enough..." She looked towards Tikal as she said that.

Knuckles and Shade just growled in frustration as they turned away from her. Tikal just stood there confused, not sure what the conversation was about. Shadow just crossed his arms. He wasn't as comfortable expressing his sex life as Rouge seemed to be.

A dinging sound was heard as the doors opened, where the group promptly exited into the echidnas' base.

"Well... as I was saying, we started to get concerned about Topaz's behavior." Shadow said, trying to stay on topic, "But then, we received a very unsettling video footage from the museum's security cameras."

"How so?" Knuckles asked.

The group now approached the large computer.

"Do you mind if I use this computer?" The black hedgehog asked, "I'll try and access the video footage."

"Go right ahead." Shade responded.

Shadow quickly pressed some keys of the keyboard and soon enough, the footage of the museum appeared on the screen. The footage played from last night. Nothing happened yet. Then a few seconds later, a human figure dropped down and swiftly smashed open several glass cases and stolen the jewels inside. As soon as most of the jewelry was uplifted, the figure turned towards the camera to make its escape. The camera footage caught sight of the culprit being the blonde haired woman, Topaz, dressed up like Rouge with an evil sneaky look on her face.

"What? Is that... Topaz? Dressed as Rouge?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm afraid so..." Shadow said, "Thankfully, me and Rouge were able to obtain this footage before anyone else in G.U.N. were able to see this."

"We tried to contact her and get a chance to talk with her about this unusual action of hers, but when we tried to bring up last night, all she said was that she does not recall anything from last night..." Rouge said, "And when we tried to visit her at her apartment, she disappeared."

"Hmm... I wonder if Topaz's behavior is in connection with everything that's been happening..." Shade said, "...including with what happened to the Master Emerald..."

"What? What's Happened to the Master Emerald?" The white bat yelled out as she heard what the terracotta echidna said.

The two echidnas led the black hedgehog and white bat over to the Master Emerald alter where they saw the shattered remains of the giant green gem.

"NO!" Rouge screamed out, "What happened! It's in pieces! And it's lost its elegant glow! No, No, No..."

As Rouge flew up to get a closer look, Shadow turned to the echidnas.

"How did this happen?" He asked.

"Eggman somehow drained the Chaos Emeralds of their power. This in turn caused the Master Emerald to shatter and lose its power, too." Knuckles said.

"And since Tikal and Chaos were spirits within the Master Emerald, I think this is why their physical manifestation has occurred..." Shade said.

"Chaos? You mean that liquid creature that almost destroyed Station Square a few years back?" Shadow asked.

"Well, he's not all that bad..." Knuckles said, until he realized something, "Wait... How do you know about that? You weren't around when that happened..."

"I have looked up the G.U.N. archives involving incidents you, Sonic, and the others have been involved with in the past." Shadow answered.

"Well... if these incidents are somehow connected, we should find Topaz as soon as possible." Shade said.

They looked up to see Rouge crying hysterically at the shattered glow-less remains of the Master Emerald.

"Maybe we should wait until Ms. Drama Queen calms down a bit..." The red echidna said.

* * *

Several minutes later...

"Well, after what Sonic and Tails have told us..." Knuckles said, "After they replenish each Chaos Emerald's power, it seems to slowly charge up the Master Emerald's power as well. I think after all the Chaos Emeralds' power is restored, it might take a while for the Master Emerald to be reassembled."

"So, while Sonic's fixing the planet, I guess it's up to us to make sure everything here is going smooth, at least until this situation is resolved." Shade added, "We should start by figuring out where Topaz is..."

"Well... her unusual behavior does seem familiar..." Shadow says as everybody turned towards Rouge.

"What? Just 'cause she's dressed like me?" Rouge said.

"More like she steals like you..." The red echidna answered.

"That's it!" Shade proclaimed, "Somehow, her attitude has been altered to be more like Rouge."

"Well, how come when we talked to her earlier, she didn't react with a similar reaction Rouge would usually give?" Shadow said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rouge asked with a slight hint of offence.

"I didn't mean it like that..." The black hedgehog said.

"Hmm... Maybe this occurs during the night." The terracotta echidna said, "Maybe Topaz has no memory of what occurred and, in a panic, probably left to clear her head."

"So, when she becomes Rouge-ified again later tonight, where is she going to end up?" The red echidna asks.

"Well... I might know where she might hit next..." The white bat said.

"Really?" Shadow said, "Where?"

Rouge then walked over to the computer and typed some stuff in and a large museum building appeared.

"I know that's where I would hit next..." She said as she pointed at the screen.

"Ah... So we'll do a stake out of the place, catch Topaz before she strikes, and then we'll find out what's up with her." Knuckles said.

"That's the plan..." Shade said, as she looked on to the light orange echidna who was being surprisingly quiet, "Tikal, we're going to be gone for the night. Do you think you'll be okay by yourself?"

"I'll be okay. Just please, be careful out there." Tikal said.

"No problem." Knuckles said, "Now let's get to it."

The echidnas, black hedgehog, and white bat quickly left to head outside, which showed the sun slowly setting. They knew they did not have much time. However, as nightfall arrived, Tikal's eyes soon fell back into the odd purple shade as she has a seductively evil look on her face.

* * *

A few hours later...

The echidnas stood hidden in a nearby bush in the park where the museum was located across the street.

"Do you trust Rouge's info?" Shade asks him.

"I may not trust her, but when it comes to her information, there no one else who is more dependable." Knuckles answers.

_"Knuckles, Shade. Do you read me, over?"_ Shadow's voice said over a walkie-talkie.

"Yeah, Shadow." Knuckles said, as he picked up the walkie-talkie, "We read you. What's the situation?"

_"I just heard from Rouge. She spotted Topaz jumping from rooftop to rooftop towards the museum."_ Shadow said.

"What? Isn't that dangerous?" Shade asked.

_"Not really... She pretty good at this parkour stuff."_ Shadow said.

"Par... what?" Shade asked.

"Parkour. It's this thing where people do crazy _Matrix_ like moves off of walls and high places and all that." Knuckles explained.

_"In any case, head topside. She's coming your way."_ The black hedgehog said.

"We're on it, Shadow." Knuckles said as he turns off the walkie-talkie.

The two echidnas soon emerged from the bushes, crossed the street, and stopped at the wall of the museum. Using his spiked gloves, Knuckles began to climb the wall. Shade pressed some buttons on her bracelet and soon her gloves produced two spikes, like Knuckles' gloves, and cleats emerged on the bottom of her black shoes. She swiftly followed him as she climbed up the wall as well.

As soon as they reached the rooftop, they saw Rouge flying above the night sky.

"Rouge, where's Topaz?" Shade called out.

"I'm not sure." She said as she landed on the roof, "She dived down an alley gap. I tried to find her, but I lost her. But I'm sure she's still making her way here."

Suddenly, a smoke bomb went off surrounding the roof with a dark cloud. Knuckles, Shade, and Rouge instantly covered up, preventing the smoke to blind them or enter their mouths.

However, their sight was obstructed as a mysterious figure soon attacked Rouge.

"What? Rouge?" Knuckles called out. Soon the mysterious figure knocked Knuckles down.

"Knuckles... Damn..." Shade said as she quickly pressed some buttons on her bracelet. Soon, her black helmet emerged and covered her head, preventing the smoke to obstruct her breathing.

As Shade activated the inferred setting on her helmet view screen, she saw the assailant about to strike her next. Luckily, she blocked the attack just in time and pushed the person back with her own strength.

Once the smoke cleared, and Knuckles and Rouge had recovered from the sneak attack, they finally got a good look at the assailant. Dressed in the same attire Rouge is in, Topaz stood before the group in a fighting pose.

"Well, well, well..." She said, "I never expected this to happen... Rouge, I thought you would have loved this... Now you and me can be the best thieves around..."

"No way." Rouge proclaimed, "First off, when it comes to stealing jewels, I only work solo; keep all the profits for myself... and second, this isn't you, Topaz. I know the real you is down there somewhere..."

"Oh, Rouge, this is the new me..." Topaz said, "And I am just shocked at how you don't want to join me... But not as shocked as you all will be soon..."

She then threw small marbles at the bat and the echidnas.

"What is this? You plan on tripping us up or something?" Knuckles said.

"Oh, crap!" Rouge said, "Knuckles, Shade, get back!"

Rouge quickly grabbed Knuckles and Shade and pulled them back before the small marbles emitted an electrical explosion.

"What the hell was that?" The red echidna shouted out.

"G.U.N. issued Rolling Shockers." The white bat explained, "Designed to cause an electromagnetic shock, temporarily stunning the opposition."

Topaz begins to throw another set of Rolling Shockers.

"Well, I think I might have something to counter that..." Shade said as she reached in her utility belt.

The terracotta echidna quickly threw small cubes. The cubes soon entrapped the marbles. The electric explosion occurred again, only this time; it was enveloped as the cubes appeared to have expanded, keeping the electric explosion contained.

"What the..." Knuckles asked in shock.

"Special rubber suited containment cubes." Shade explained, "Back in the Twilight Cage, we used these to capture enemy combatants. Impossible to escape from."

"Hmm... It looks like I'll have to do deal with you pesky echidnas another way..." Topaz said with an evil grin on her face.

Suddenly, a black streak zoomed right towards her. Somehow, Topaz was able to dodge it. The black streak soon stopped in front of the echidnas and the bat, revealing himself to be Shadow.

"Topaz, I do not wish to fight you, but I will be forced to if you do not surrender now and come with us." Shadow said.

"Please... it doesn't matter who gets in my way, there is no force on this planet that will stop me..." She proclaimed.

Suddenly, an earthquake occurred as everyone tried to keep their balance.

"What... What's going on?" Shadow asked.

"My guess is Sonic got another Chaos Emerald back to its full power..." Knuckles said.

Everyone soon fell down as the quake lasted a few more minutes. As Rouge fell down, several pieces of the Master Emerald fell out of her pockets and landed on the floor in front of her.

"What?" Knuckles yelled out when he saw the pale green stones fall out, "Are you serious? Even with its power drained, you still tried to steal the Master Emerald?"

"Uh, well... I..." Rouge stuttered.

However, the dull green of the Emerald pieces began to glow, slightly brighter than the last time. The bright light of the Emerald pieces shone in the face of Topaz, who seemed to be in pain.

"Wait..." Shade said, "Look at Topaz. Something's happening..."

Topaz groaned as she soon fainted forward and as soon as she did, as she did, a dark purple strange creature stood behind her bellowing out in a hideous howl.

"What the hell is that?" Rouge said.

"My guess is that thing is what possessed her into acting strangely..." Shadow said.

With another bellowing howl, the creature raised its arms, and soon, more creatures jumped onto the rooftops to join him.

"Where the heck did they come from?" Shade asked.

"Don't know, but I do know how they getting out of here..." Knuckles said as he brought his fists together, ready to fight.

Knuckles easily punched out a creature, sending it flying off the rooftop. Shade unsheathed her leech blade and easily sliced the creature before her, causing the creature to fall into pieces. Rouge flew towards another creature and delivered a flying bicycle kick to it, before giving it a big roundhouse kick, knocking it out. Shadow quickly fired his Chaos Spears from his hands and decimated the remaining creatures.

As soon as these creatures were beaten, they seemed to slowly vanish and disappear upon their defeat. Knuckles looked around trying to find any trace of those creatures.

"Gone..." He said.

"Does this mean we are victorious?" Shade asked still in her battle pose.

"Affirmative..." Shadow said as he relaxed a bit.

Rouge flew down to the fallen Topaz, checking to see if she was okay.

"Topaz? Topaz? Are you all right? Answer me, please." The white bat said as she held the human's head.

Topaz groaned a bit as she started to wake up.

"Huh... What... Rouge?" She said drowsily.

Rouge sighed. "Thank goodness you're all right..." The white bat said as the black hedgehog joined them.

"What? What do you mean by that?" She asked confused. She soon looked down at her current apparel. "And why am I dressed like you, Rouge? I thought we do the cosplay sex on Fridays?"

Knuckles had a shocked look on her face while Shade giggled.

"You honestly have no idea about what's happened to you for the last few days?" Shadow asked.

"Vaguely..." Topaz said, "All I remember was that me and my team were investigating that gaping hole where Dr. Eggman blasted and... the next thing I know, I'm here..."

"Well, whatever those creatures were, they seemed to have a possessive ability..." Shade said as she approached the group.

"Almost like the ghostly spirits in Pumpkin Hill... And it seems that they take possessive control around the nighttime..." Knuckles said, carrying the pieces of the Master Emerald, as he joined them as well.

"Knuckles? Shade? What..." Topaz began.

"Don't worry. Just come with us back to G.U.N. and we'll fill you in on what the situation is." Rouge said.

"It seems that when the light of the Master Emerald shone in Topaz's face, that drove the creature out of hiding in her body... Like a form of exorcism or something..." Shadow said as he placed his hand under his chin in a thinking position.

"Hmm... Then those creatures are definitely connected with what's been going on lately..." Knuckles said.

"Ooh... Does that mean I can keep the Master Emerald pieces?" Rouge asked.

Knuckles and Shade just glared angrily at the bat.

"Never mind..." She said.

"Oh, Rouge..." Topaz said.

* * *

Later that night, Knuckles and Shade returned to Angel Island with the Master Emerald pieces after leaving Shadow, Rouge, and Topaz to return to G.U.N. They soon entered their living area.

"I wonder where Tikal is?" Shade asked, seeing the area was so empty.

"I guess she's already asleep... It is pretty late." Knuckles said.

"So, counting the earlier earthquake, that makes 2 Chaos Emeralds refueled... and that means the Master Emerald has regained some of its power, right?" Shade asked.

"That's correct. At this rate, the Master Emerald, the Chaos Emeralds, and the planet whole planet will be back to normal in no time." The red echidna said.

"Just what were those creatures that possessed Topaz, anyway?" The terracotta echidna asked.

"I'm not sure... But I bet I know who does know..." Knuckles answered as he began to yawn, "First thing tomorrow, we'll contact Tails and find out what info he knows."

"Good idea..." Shade said. She then looked at the door to the room where the Master Emerald, as well as Chaos and Tikal, stayed. "You know... I think... I should talk with Tikal..."

"Huh?" Knuckles asks, confused.

"I mean, I think I should tell Tikal about my former connections with the Nocturnus clan... I feel that if I can be openly honest with her, then maybe, we can be able to get along better." She said, "It just wouldn't sit right on my conscience if I hide this from her any longer."

"Sure, Shade." Knuckles said, "If that's what you feel you gotta do, I'm behind you all the way."

"Thanks, Knuxy." Shade said as she kissed his cheek, "Come on, let's get ready for bed."

As Knuckles and Shade go to their room, the door to the Master Emerald alter opened as purple eyes looked through the crack, seeing the two echidnas embrace as they get ready for bed, as this person gave off a small sinister like chuckle.

***


End file.
